Donald Trump rally: Large crowds and tight security for former president’s rally in Uniondale, New York

NASSAU COUNTY, Long Island (WABC) — Former President Donald Trump addresses a large crowd inside the Nassau Coliseum for a campaign rally Wednesday night.

The large gathering comes just days after a second apparent assassination attempt on the former president in Florida over the weekend.

Ahead of the rally in Uniondale, Long Island, NewsCopter 7 showed large crowds gathering in the afternoon amid heightened security measures.

The parking lot was subject to a security operation during the night. Police evicted several vendors and people who were trying to camp.

Law enforcement destroyed social media posts falsely reporting that explosives had been found in a car near the rally planned for Wednesday morning.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said police questioned and detained a person who “may have trained a bomb-detection dog” near the rally site and “falsely reported the discovery of explosives.”

County police spokesman Lt. Scott Skrynecki said in follow-up messages that the person, whom police have not yet identified, was a civilian and not a member of a law enforcement agency.

He also said the person did not work for or was not affiliated with the event, which was expected to draw thousands of Trump supporters to the arena that was once the home of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

More than 60,000 tickets have been requested for the rally. The facility can only accommodate 16,000 people, with the rest being able to watch the rally on large outdoor screens in what is being described as a tailgate-style experience.

People lined up well before the parking lot opened at 8 a.m.

The rally is Trump’s first on Long Island, a suburb just east of New York City, since 2017.

Several protests were planned in a designated “free speech zone” on the sidewalk along Hempstead Turnpike, just west of the main entrance.

The Hempstead Turnpike remained open but traffic was heavy.

Anyone not working in the area has been asked to stay away from Wednesday afternoon.

The following items were not allowed to be brought to the gathering:

Drones, aerosols, alcohol, household appliances, backpacks or rolling bags, no bag larger than 12 x 14 x 5 and it must be clear, balloons, balls, poles, sticks, banners, signs, placards, chairs, coolers, e-cigarettes, firearms, glass, thermal containers, horns, whistles and megaphones.

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